_______________________________________

A few months ago, a small team of Calvary pastors traveled to a country where they witnessed real worship of idols. While the Lord says we should have no other gods except Him, that doesn’t typically look like people in the United States bowing down to carved images or burning incense and bringing tribute to some statue. During their trip, however, they saw this firsthand and said it had a tremendous impact on how they read passages like this.

It’s difficult to consider that the wisest known king in history, who wrote most of the books Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes, headed down a path where he ultimately sanctioned idol worship in Israel. Solomon doesn’t just allow for idol worship; he invests time and resources into their locations. These are the false gods from the enemies of Israel, and the level of detestableness becomes greater as time passes. Solomon started down this path, despite the Lord’s multiple warnings, as a way to broker peace treaties with enemy nations. Perhaps he justified adding these foreign wives as an effective strategy and believed he could control himself from turning away. The Lord warned him. Solomon had, like everyone, a sinful heart, including areas of significant weakness and areas of temptation. 

Reflection: This part of Solomon’s life is a significant warning sign to all of us. If the wisest man on earth can be tempted to make foolish and sinful decisions, then we all can.  

______________________________________